


Slowly

by wannabe_someone



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Some feels, fuck reylo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22022458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wannabe_someone/pseuds/wannabe_someone
Summary: A fix it because reylo is crap, and I’m curiousIf Rey killed palpatine and Ben killed her
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Slowly

**Author's Note:**

> Reylo was heteronormative bs, have a better version of the ending

Rey took a breath, then plunged the lightsaber into Palpatine - her grandfather’s - chest.

She knew it was the wrong decision. She knew that she would destroy the galaxy. But at that moment? She was too full of rage. Rage for the person who destroyed her life. Who dumped her on Jaccu. Who had caused every single shitty thing in her life. She thought it was worth it. After all, he would suffer.

The amount of power that immediately filled her was worth it. Every person, force sensitive or not, could feel that shift. The Emperor took his last breath, dying. He had finally accomplished his goal.

Rey burned with rage. She didn’t want to see him succeed. She clenched her fist and the entire cavern collapsed, killing all of the fanatics. Only one person remained. She growled, a feral sound. Something that shouldn’t be humanly possible. The sound was mirrored by the only other person remaining. Ben walked in, lifting rocks to move towards her, slowly and carefully. Accepting that he was prey.

“Rey.” Even in this cavern, his voice was flat, yet deep and resonant. He lowered his hands, letting the rocks drop to the floor. “You shouldn’t do this.”

She turned towards him, her eyes having turned dark, like dying stars. She still stood her ground. “Stay. Back!”

“I did this. It will unmake you. This almost destroyed me. You are better than your birthright.” He was still standing there, not giving up any ground, trying not to notice the sharp edged rocks advancing behind him. 

“I chose this! This is who I was meant to be.” Lightning launched out of her hands, heading towards him. He ducked, rolling. The lightning hit the rocks, exploding as the ground rumbled from the battle happening above them. Ben reached out, pulling one of the lightsabers to him, opening it right as Rey leaped above him, parrying just in time.

The impact was deafening in the empty cavern. 

The ground rumbled again, but Ben could tell that the Resistance was gaining ground again. As he tried to stand against the assault of Rey, he knew one thing: if he could keep her occupied, the Resistance tood a chance. The cost did not matter.

He threw himself back into the battle, trying to go back on the offensive. She was stronger, faster. Every blast of lightning, every time he barely deflected a strike, he got more tired. All he could do was dodge, try to avoid his death as the Resistance gained more ground.

He finally got an opening. The Resistance had done well, starting to take out the fleets’ cannons. She launched lightning and he caught it, the energy getting thrown back at her. He could hear his mother, his mentor, in his head. All of the dead Jedi were with him.

Rey flew back, hitting the rocks with a sickening snap before falling to the floor of the cavern. He leveled his lightsaber at her, right over her head.

“It’s over, Rey. It’s not too late. You can still come back. Come back to the light.” His voice had gotten quieter and quieter as he crouched over her body. She took a rattling breath. He met her eyes, now back to their normal gray. The cavern started to collapse around them.

“I needed to do it,” she whispered. “I needed him to pay for what he’d done.”  
As she finished that sentence, she grabbed his arm.

Ben could sympathize. He had felt the same way. Angry, abandoned, needing someone to pay. It was what led him to kill his father. 

“I am… truly sorry.” Blinking tears out of his eyes, he pulled her into an embrace, her body practically like a rag doll’s. He ignited his lightsaber, sticking it through her heart. Her hand reached up towards his cheek as the cavern finally collapsed.

Ben ran towards Rey’s ship, strapping himself in as he followed the Resistance fleet to their base. He needed to see his mother.

When he got to their base, he immediately killed any conversation. Everyone was embracing, celebrating. Their two generals were kissing, hands tangled in each other’s hair, grasping the back of the other’s neck.

Ben landed, praying that the worst wouldn’t happen. Before the doors even opened, Poe had ran towards the door.

“Rey! You’re here!” He shouted at the assembled crowd. “She’s here-“

Ben stepped out of the ship. All good cheer evaporated. Everyone stepped back, pulling out blasters. The only one wasn’t surprised was Finn. Ben noted that. He knew that Finn was someone to be afraid of. Or to train.

“Stand down!” Poe yelled, putting his blaster back. Ben pulled off the helmet he’d found in the ship, throwing it in the ground. Then addressing him, Poe said “Why are you here.”

Ben decided to be blunt. “Rey went to the dark side. I killed her to save the galaxy. I promise, I come in peace.”

Finn and Poe turned towards each other. “Are you sure we should trust him?” Poe asked, running his hand through his hair.

Finn, level-headed as ever, responded, grabbing his boyfriend’s arm. “We have to. We won. If we didn’t,” he laughed a little, “The galaxy would’ve been wiped out already.”

Poe turned back towards the crowd. “Alright! Nobody should bother him. Finn said we could trust him, so we should trust him!” The crowd started yelling, muttering. They all fell silent when Poe started to talk again. “If he starts murdering everyone, we can kill him. But unless that happens we leave him alone.”

Poe turned back to Ben offering him his hand to shake. Ben stares at it. “I didn’t think you would accept me.”

Poe shook his hand, hard, before letting him go. “It’s what Leia would have wanted.”

Ben heard the threat. He turned his back on the whispers, the hostility. He wanted to see his mother for the last time.

Slowly, they all rebuilt the galaxy. Finn and Poe helped to start a government, to help the survivors. Finn especially tried to help the surviving former stormtroopers. 

Ben was still sleeping with one eye open, trying to avoid getting killed. He stayed lonely and isolated, haunted by the ghosts of his past. He felt like he was yelling ‘I’ve changed!’ into a crowd, but no one took him seriously. He needed to do something. He decided to rebuild the Jedi. To try to make up for what he’d done.

So he left. He built a new lightsaber and found a new crystal. It was built in the same style, but a golden yellow instead of blue or red. He disappeared, shed the old black clothes for lighter colors. 

Finally he went back to Tattoine. He admired the dual moons, getting lost in the sand with his new droid companions. 

Ben slid down to the place where Luke Skywalker had lived. He thought it was a good place to hide Luke and Leia’s old lightsabers. To start a new era. Someone crept up behind him and he jumped around, fighting every instinct to start yelling, to unleash his lightsaber.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Ben. Ben Skywalker.” 

And through the sand, he thought he could see the ghosts of Luke and Leia, urging him to keep going.


End file.
